The present invention relates to document binding arrangements associated with imaging systems. More specifically, the present invention relates to scoring sheets, individually and in line, to be bound in an imaging system to improve the quality of bound documents.
Imaging systems such as printers, fax machines, and copiers are virtually omnipresent, and can be found in homes and offices worldwide. The development of such systems has facilitated improvements in communication that have in turn fostered a sea change in the way people live and work. Telecommuting, paperless offices, and intra-office networks represent but a few examples of the advancements that have been made possible by modern imaging systems.
Imaging systems have become relatively sophisticated in response to consumer demands. It is not uncommon to find imaging systems associated with output systems capable of collating, sorting, and stapling groups of documents. One example of such an output system a 3000-sheet stapler/stacker, available from Hewlett-Packard Company, for high-capacity HP LaserJet printers. The 3000-sheet stapler/stacker, can be combined with the HP LaserJet 8100 printer to conveniently provide reliable, high-volume printing and finishing for professional-looking documents. Using the HP LaserJet 8100 printer, 3,000-sheet stapler/stacker, automatic duplexer and 2,000-sheet input tray together, users can quickly and easily print, staple and sort single or numerous copies of large documents on demand. Manuals, training packages and other lengthy printed materials that need to be updated frequently can now be created in-house, allowing businesses to save costs associated with outsourcing and inventory storage and control.
Various systems for binding groups of finished documents have arisen in parallel to the advancements in image production. Such systems enable in-house personnel to produce bound sets of materials from documents output from imaging systems. A variety of binding types are available, including spiral binding, flexible spine binding, and thermal binding.
In thermal binding processes, sheets of material are typically placed within a cover, with a thermoplastic spline inserted along an edge of the materials. The binder applies heat, or a combination of heat and pressure, to fuse the spline with the materials, thus forming a bound set.
While such bound sets provide convenience and acceptable appearance, they are often cumbersome to use. Fused splines and covers render the bound sets stiff and inflexible, making it difficult to open the pages of the set sufficiently. This can make reading or making entries onto pages cumbersome. Further, the binding process requires secondary operations, in some systems necessitating manually performed steps.
While known binding systems produce durable bound sets, the bulk and stiffness of the binding are unnecessary for collections of documents for which frequent reference is unlikely, such as printed sets of archived e-mails messages.
It can thus be seen that the need exists for a binding method and apparatus that results in a securely bound, easy-to-use set.
Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a binding system inline with an imaging system including an accumulator in which sheet material is accumulated in respective jobs to be bound. The binding system includes a binding assembly adapted and constructed to bind the sheet material together. A scoring member is connected to the binding assembly. The scoring member is adapted and constructed to form respective score patterns in sheet material received in the accumulator.
The binding assembly can include a thermally low-mass heating element and a thermally high-mass cooling element. The scoring member can be connected for motion with respect to the binding assembly, for example, by forming at least one bore in the binding assembly, and at least one guide post extending from the scoring member and received for reciprocation in the at least one bore in the binding assembly. At least one resilient biasing member, for example, a coil spring surrounding the guide post, can be disposed between the scoring member and the binding assembly. The scoring member can be constructed as an elongate wedge-shaped bar, a serrated edge, a series of pointed protrusions, or any configuration suitable for the material to be scored.
The binding assembly can include a frame assembly having a first frame member mounted generally parallel to a second frame member. The heating element can be mounted on a lower surface of the frame assembly. The binding assembly can also include a cooling element having a generally parallelepipedal lower portion extending downwardly from a generally parallelepipedal upper portion. The lower portion of the cooling element can be mounted for reciprocal movement between the first and second frame members of the frame assembly. At least one biasing member, for example, a coil spring, can be secured between at least one of the frame members of the frame assembly and the upper portion of the cooling element.
A method of binding sheet material is also set forth. The method can be practiced in an imaging system including an accumulator in which sheet material having at least one longitudinal edge is accumulated in respective jobs to be bound. In a first step, a first sheet of material is received in the accumulator. The first sheet of material is then scored substantially parallel to a longitudinal edge of the first sheet of material. Next, a second sheet of material is received in the accumulator at a position overlying the first sheet of material. The second sheet of material is scored substantially parallel to a longitudinal edge of the second sheet of material and bound to the first sheet of material. The step of scoring the second sheet of material can occur in synchronization with the step of binding the second sheet of material to the first sheet of material, whether before, after, or simultaneously.